In a Year or Even in a Century
by HufflePuffPatronus
Summary: After deciding to take a well-deserved break from her friends and Mystic Falls drama; Caroline finds herself feeling drawn back to a certain Hybrid and travels to the great city of New Orleans. Only to find out he hasn't been there for 3 years. Soon Caroline's life becomes intertwined with the those of the residents of New Orleans but how far will she go to uncover the truth?
1. Down in New Orleans

Prompt: A Klaroline drabble with Caroline saving Klaus in NOLA after 3 years would be great :)

A/N: This complies with canon from season 5 and the canon of TO (slightly)

Summary:

TVD: Katherine died in 5x11 not 5x16 (Elijah came to see her for real before she did) but Nadia didn't die in 5x15. Nadia finds Caroline to try to persuade her to help her bring Katherine back to life. Caroline initially refuses but Nadia kidnaps and threatens Matt so Caroline complies. Katherine is resurrected and decides to leave Mystic Falls and disappear while Klaus still thinks she's dead. Caroline's mother dies in season 5 instead of season 6. She leaves MF with her humanity off but eventually turns it on and decides to find Klaus and take him up on his offer, except when she arrives in NOLA he's nowhere to be found.

TO: Hayley journeys to New Orleans in 4x20 to find her real family. She ends up meeting Jackson by coincidence they have a brief tryst and she falls pregnant. However, the witches of the Quarter find out about Hayley's connection Klaus and convince her to tell Klaus the baby is his in order to stage their plans to lure Klaus back to New Orleans; to have him kill Marcel. The plan fails, Klaus kills the witches and most of Jackson's pack in retaliation, but Hayley and Jackson manage to flee New Orleans. Most of the other events of TO, non-baby related, do occur including Freya's arrival. Davina brought back Kol at the end of Season 2 not 3. The prophecy plotline happens but Aurora and Tristan are the only big-bads and Lucien is still team Mikaelson.

Phew, I think that's everything. On with the story.

"Perhaps one day, in a year or even a century you'll show up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."

Those words turned back and forth in Caroline's head as she drove her ford fiesta through the rain. As she passed the sign notifying her that she was entering New Orleans she mulled over all the various decisions that had brought her here.

Her mother's death had been devastating. The worst part was the shock. Being a vampire had changed her perspective on mortality. Since she no longer feared death, she no longer worried about it. She had gotten into this false sense of security that made her believe that her friends and loved ones would be around as long as she would.

That is, forever.

Okay, so at the back of her mind she always knew Liz Forbes would have to die at some point; she just assumed she'd be very old and very grey, maybe in her nineties still clutching her shotgun.

The grief was so bad, so unbelievably unbearable, she'd decided to turn off her humanity. Caroline had rationally explained her plan to her friends and honestly, she couldn't say whether she was more hurt or pissed off at their reaction.

She wasn't a child. She had way more control over her vampirism than anybody she knew. It wasn't like one day she decided to flip it off and go crazy. No that would be stupid. It was like her friends didn't know her at all. She was Caroline, Caroline - meticulously plans everything to the last letter - Forbes.

She had planned how she was going to turn off her humanity and exactly when she would turn it back on again. In a year. That was all she needed. In that time, she wouldn't slaughter any innocents or do anything dangerous or crazy. Just drink excessively and party wildly in every state in America.

But apparently it wasn't good enough for her friends to just trust her. So she'd resorted to threatening them. It hadn't given her any pleasure but taking control of her own life for once certainly had.

In her year off, Caroline hit a couple of destinations. It was a lot of fun, seeing as though she'd never really been anywhere before. For a short period of time, she'd considered keeping her humanity off for slightly longer but it had been unexpectedly triggered and all her emotions had come flooding back.

Although she had a couple of tiny regrets (no humanity Caroline made some pretty trashy decisions when drunk) she was proud to say that she had managed to keep relatively in control of herself, minus her humanity.

It had hurt like a bitch when the realisation that her mother was dead hit her but in comparison to how she'd felt post funeral, the pain wasn't nearly as bad and for that she was grateful.

Caroline considered returning home to Mystic Falls, but all she could picture was Damon's snarky comments; Elena's big brown judgy eyes glaring at her and not to mention Stefan's trademark look of disappointment.

No, thank you.

It seemed almost wrong going back to that small, one horse town when there was so much of the world - so much of America - she hadn't seen yet.

"Small town boy, small town life; it won't be enough for you."

Words couldn't describe how much she hated a certain someone for being right about that. But here she was, cruising into Klaus Mikaelson's city to see whether his offer to see the world was legitimate or just sweet nothings said in the spur of the moment.

She hoped she wouldn't end up regretting it.

Strolling through The Quarter Caroline soon realised the tragic flaw in her plan. She'd walked into a strange city looking for someone and she realised had no idea where the hell he lived or where to look for him.

So the obvious solution appeared to be asking around to see if anyone had seen him. It was Klaus, she doubted that there was a person around that hadn't heard of him.

Unfortunately, for her when she made her enquiries no one seemed to have any idea of who she was referring to and those who did appear to know something, remained infuriatingly tight-lipped when Caroline pressed them further. It all seemed a bit strange, but she decided that Klaus had probably administered his usual scare tactics and everyone was just so frightened and were frightened to speak out of turn.

So she decided to make the most of her stay and explore the local market instead.

There were lots of unusual items on display and not just the usual type of stuff you'd find in hippie markets, like dream catchers and wind chimes.

Bonnie mentioned once that in places with a large witch population it was common to find special items to buy to assist in the practice of witchcraft.

Bonnie.

That was one of the unfortunate side effects of having her emotions back on. She was starting to severely miss her friends.

In order to cheer herself up, she decided to purchase a bracelet she spotted on one of the stalls and give it to Bonnie the next time she saw her.

"'Scuse me, miss? How much for this Bracelet?" Caroline asked, addressing an elderly lady sitting behind the table.

Instead of answering her the woman gave her a hard stare.

They spoke English in New Orleans, right?

"Uh, hi. Sorry, I was asking about this bracelet," Caroline tried again.

The woman's face remained blank and she folded her arms over her chest in (delete) defensively.

"Alright fine, then I suppose I'll just take my money elsewhere," Caroline huffed, indignantly.

The look on the woman's face said, "you do that." Although offended, Caroline raised her chin in the air defiantly then kept moving through the marketplace.

She didn't notice it at first but eventually Caroline realized that the eyes of every market vendor and some of the patrons appeared to be trained on her.

As she kept on the staring only seemed to get worse. Beginning to feel slightly nervous Caroline quickened her pace. When the crowd of witches began to swarm, Caroline quickly vamp sped out of the area.

Only to be faced with a dead end.

As she turned around she was suddenly surrounded by a group of less than pleased looking witches.

"Who are you?" One of them demanded. "State your business in New Orleans."

Caroline frowned.

"My business?"

"Yes," came a voice from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "Please excuse the ambush but my friends here get a little agitated when a new and mysterious vampires come into town."

The person speaking was a short black man, his hair was cropped into a Mohican style and he wore a brown leather jacket.

"Especially," he continued, "when they start going around asking so many questions."

Caroline cocked her head slightly in confusion.

"I was just-"

"-Especially," he interrupted. "When those questions are concerning a certain hybrid,"

"Wh- who Klaus? Do you know him? Or maybe where I could find him?"

"That's it, I say we kill her," was the demand of the tall blonde witch that had spoken to Caroline first.

There were murmurs of agreement amongst the group. As the witches began to advance toward her Caroline bared her fangs at them, the veins beneath her eyes becoming prominent.

"No! Absolutely not, they'll be no bloodshed around here, not on my watch," the man barked at the crowd in a panicked tone. "We don't need that kind of attention drawn over here. Or have you forgotten now is the first time in a while we've had some semblance of peace?" He asked the agitated crowd.

"Yeah exactly and how much more 'blissful' peace do you think we'll get to enjoy, if 'you know who' thinks that she's from the other sire line and that there are more like her coming?" The tall witch countered, scowling in the man's direction.

Caroline felt irritated as they spoke about her as if she wasn't there but equally her curiosity was piqued wondering just what and who the witches were currently discussing.

Who exactly was 'you know who?' Also the man before her still hadn't given any indication as to whether or not he knew Klaus or his whereabouts.

"Her presence here could literally start a war between the vampires and then who knows how many of us will end up dead because of it," the blonde witch, continued.

As she spoke she shot Caroline an accusatory glare and Caroline, unwilling to be intimidated, stared back defiantly.

"Now you know I will not let that happen. But attempting to kill this woman without just cause is not our best course of action. If anything it may just trigger the events you just described."

The man's response caused disgruntled murmuring amongst the group and Caroline began to grow anxious once more.

"Enough!" he ordered, raising his hand as if to signal the end of the dispute.

"I am this city's regent, entrusted with your care and I intend to carry out my duties. Now, go about your business, I will deal with her and make sure there are no nasty consequences," he stated.

With a dismissive nod of his head, the man watched as the crowd of witches slowly and reluctantly dispersed. Once they had all left he turned and gave Caroline an apologetic smile.

"Please forgive my friends. They can be a little overzealous. These are contentious times here in the Quarter and I fear your presence might have spooked them," he explained.

"Okay I have no idea what's going on around here but I'm just a tourist here to do some shopping, so..." Caroline said, crossing her arms impatiently.

"That might be. However, I've got to ask. What sire line do you come from?" He asked, giving her a probing look.

"I have no idea. I was turned six years ago by some asshole vampire who used to abuse me. Why is that even important and who exactly are you?" Caroline demanded.

The man smiled.

"I'm sorry. You're right, how rude of me to not even introduce myself. My name is Vincent Griffith and as I said I'm the reigning regent of the New Orleans coven of witches. Now I promise, all will be explained and I'll let you be on your way. But as you just saw, this city's filled with a lot of uneasy people, namely witches, who would love to see you meet your demise simply for being yet another vampire currently populating this city and putting all of our lives in danger," Vincent supplied.

"I don't understand? Why? What's so awful about me being here?" Caroline implored.

"Let me make it simple for you. You're clearly in more danger here than you realise and right now, your best bet of staying alive... is coming with me."

A/N: So I left a little thank you note to all my reviewers, especially my guest reviewers whom I cannot directly reply to, in the reviews page so you can read it there and hopefully I've answered some of your questions/suggestions. This fic is kind of a backdoor pilot that I slipped into this series. It _was_ originally a drabble prompt from an anon on tumblr but I had too many ideas for it so now it will be its own story with several parts. So be sure to follow the story to know when part two is up. Also I will be updating my Kennett, Kalijah and Frucien drabble collections too, so stay tuned.

Please send any drabble requests to my inbox here or at my tumblr dontbeallupinmyfriesdawg .


	2. What Lies Beneath

To get to Vincent's home, they had to travel through the back streets of the city.

 _"So as to avoid any further trouble,"_ he'd said.

He lived in a small, modest cottage and he didn't seem to have any neighbours in the surrounding area.

"Doesn't anyone else live around here?" Caroline asked as Vincent unlocked the front door.

"Nope. It's just me out here. But I like it that way, I prefer the quiet," he replied.

"Please excuse the mess, bachelor lifestyle and all that," he said apologetically.

He gestured toward the living room and Caroline entered and took a seat. Vincent sat down on a chair opposite to her.

"So," he began. "Why are you looking for Klaus Mikaelson?"

Caroline frowned and tilted her head.

"That's funny, I thought you dragged me all the way over here so you could start doing some explaining," she said irritably.

Vincent nodded.

"Alright, alright. That's fair,"

He got up and headed toward the door.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked

"No thank you," Caroline declined politely.

He nodded again and left the room.

While he was out Caroline took the time to survey her surroundings.

The wallpaper was a pale shade of blue but it may have been brighter before and had faded slightly. The arm chairs matched the wallpaper and the carpet was navy. A bowl of Pou-puri sat in a bowl on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Vincent returned holding a glass of coke and placed it on the table.

"You sure I can't get you anything?" Vincent implored her.

"I'm good thanks," Caroline waved him off.

"Well alright then," he said and picked up his own glass to take a sip. When he'd had enough he began to speak.

"The witches you encountered in the marketplace. Aren't big fans of Vampires. The coven in this city's always had a problem with them, some would call us natural enemies,"

He paused and looked at her for a moment before taking another sip of his drink then setting it aside and reclining in his chair.

"Recently two very old and powerful Vampires, two of the first descendants of the original vampire sirelines, have taken control of this city. According to them, everything on this side of Louisiana is under their jurisdiction. All the vampires here have either descended from their bloodline; pledged their allegiance to 'em or died attempting to rebel,"

Caroline forced herself not to interrupt Vincent as he spoke, she was itching to ask him questions about the information he had given so far. And she wanted to know what any of this had to do with Klaus.

"Since you don't seem to know what sireline you descend from and nobody else around here has any means of finding out. Any vampire you encounter in this city will perceive you as a threat. This city has been teetering on the brink of descending into chaos for a long time now and if and when it does, you can bet your ass dozens of innocent witches will be caught in the crossfire,"

"So with that being said, you can see why things were the way they were when you got here," he finished.

"But I don't understand, who exactly is they? And if they're original descendants, then what happened to Klaus and the rest of his family?" Caroline questioned.

Vincent gave her calculating look.

"You know, 'ya still haven't told me how you know him," he stated.

Caroline shifted slightly in her chair and swallowed.

"He's an old friend- I'm an old friend of his, I mean. I'm just visiting to see how he is," she supplied.

He looked her over for a second before answering.

"Alright, well, the whereabouts of Klaus Mikaelson is not something I can help you with. All I know is that he's not here. I really wish there was more I could do for you," he said standing up.

"Now are you sure there isn't anything I can get you to drink before you leave?"

Caroline opened her mouth to protest when she heard some footsteps outside of the door. Suddenly there was a loud slamming noise and a male voice rang through the house.

"Vincent!?"

The man in question entered the room. He looked as if he was about to say something to Vincent when he noticed Caroline sitting on the other side of the room.

He was tall - around 6 foot - and strikingly handsome. He was well built and one could clearly see his muscular form through the thin material of his hoodie. He had the kind of rich, brown eyes that always looked as they were smiling even when he wasn't.

"Who's your friend?" he murmured, without taking his eyes off of Caroline.

"She _claims_ to be an old friend of Klaus," Vincent said slowly as if he was conscience of the reaction his words might get.

Sure enough, Marcel whipped around to look at Vincent cocking his eyebrow in surprise.

Vincent only gave a tilt of his head in reply and had another sip of his drink.

Caroline hadn't realised before but Vincent's coke was laced with alcohol.

"An old friend huh?" Marcel asked turning back to face her "I wasn't aware Klaus Mikaelson had any of those,"

Caroline didn't answer but met his eyes as he examined her.

"She's a vampire," he said to Vincent.

"Yes, she certainly is," Vincent replied emptying his glass.

Caroline cleared her throat abruptly.

" _She_ has a name," she said defensively.

"Do tell," Marcel answered leaning up against the door frame.

"Caroline. Caroline Forbes," she said rising to her feet and extending her hand.

Marcel's face changed as if he'd realised something.

"Well I'll be damned," he said looking her over "The Caroline Forbes in the flesh,"

"How do you-" she started.

"-Klaus may have mentioned you... once or twice," he shrugged.

He had a wry smile on his lips as if he knew something that he shouldn't. Caroline flushed under his gaze wondering what exactly Klaus had _mentioned_ to this man.

"So you know him then," she asked crossing her arms.

"You could say that," he replied "He and I are... _old acquaintances_ ," he said flashing her his pearly whites.

He nodded over at Vincent.

"I'll have what you're having,"

Vincent got up from his chair and grabbed his glass.

"What's this all about Marcel?"

Marcel made himself comfortable in one of the chairs near to where Caroline had been sitting.

"Some of my guys caught some of your witch friends vandalising one of the de Martel's buildings today. Now under my instructions they weren't harmed but you're damn lucky, it was my people and not somebody else who caught em'," said Marcel.

Vincent returned the room with two glasses and handed one to Marcel. He sat down and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know I do my best to try to control them. But they're tired Marcel. Last week a fifteen-year-old girl was found dead near the cemetery. Large bite marks in her neck. So you can understand their frustration," Vincent explained.

"You don't think I know? You think I enjoy the idea of dead bodies littered around the city? But there's nothing I can do about it and there only so many times I can stick my neck out for you. Talk to your guys, make sure it doesn't happen again is all I'm saying," Marcel contended.

Vincent didn't say anything in response but he gave Marcel a slightly reproachful look as he drank.

"Sorry to interrupt," Caroline said grabbing the attention of both men.

"But you wouldn't happen to know where Klaus is would you?" she said turning toward Marcel.

Marcel looked as if he were trying to keep his expression neutral but there was a slight flicker in his eyes before he spoke.

"Sorry," He said rising from his chair "Can't help you,"

He emptied his glass and then raised it at Vincent before placing it on the table.

"Thanks for the drink man," he said giving Vincent a nod before turning to leave.

Unsatisfied with that answer, Caroline got up and followed him into the hallway.

"I don't believe you," she stated bluntly, placing her hands on her hips.

Marcel raised his eyebrows.

"Come again?"

"Everyone in this town has been acting super suspiciously every time I've mentioned Klaus' name. Now I know _something_ must have happened; I know you know Klaus and I know you probably know where I can find him too. You just don't want to tell me for some reason. Why is that?" she demanded.

Marcel looked momentarily taken aback and then he laughed softly stepping forward to stand closer to her.

"Well I can see why he liked you so much," he smirked.

Caroline blushed once again but held her chin in the air and refused to look away from him.

"You want the truth? Well, the truth is Klaus Mikaelson's a ghost and he has been for a very long time now. I really can't help you. I sorry, I am. But that's just the way it is. Now I don't know if Vincent's briefed you on what's going on around here but it really isn't safe for baby vampires to be roaming around New Orleans all willy-nilly,"

Caroline glared defiantly at him.

"So I guess the question is: For your own protection, which one of us would you like to escort you out of the city?"

Caroline sat in a bar nursing a brandy. The bar was relatively empty and no one had really paid much attention to her when she walked in.

The bartender, a blonde woman in her thirties, came toward her as she finished her drink.

"Can I top that up for you?" she asked cheerfully.

"That would be great actually," Caroline said handing her her glass.

"You're new around here," the woman remarked glancing at Caroline.

"I'm a tourist," Caroline replied, hoping the other woman wouldn't attempt to strike up a conversation.

The bartender only nodded and slid her drink toward her.

"Well enjoy your stay," she smiled.

Caroline nodded and she moved along to serve some other patrons.

Caroline put her drink to her lips and continued brooding over the events of the day. What really bugged her was this; why exactly did she care so much? So what if Klaus wasn't around, he was probably on the other side of the world; enjoying the great cities and great art, like he was always talking about. He had probably forgotten all about her.

She should finish her drink, get the heck out of this town and forget all about _him_.

"One rum and coke please Cami," came a familiar voice.

Caroline looked to her left only to see Vincent take a seat adjacent to her at the bar.

" _Unbelievable_ ," she huffed downing her drink and getting ready to leave.

"Well look who it is," Vincent said spotting her as she tried to walk past him.

"You got a death wish or something kid?" he asked

"Marcel wasn't playing around when he said what he said. It's dangerous around these parts,"

"I can handle myself, thanks," she said giving him a saccharine smile.

"Oh yeah?" he laughed. "Mm mm mm typical vampire," he hummed taking a swig of his drink.

Caroline whipped around.

"What does that mean?" she challenged.

"It means your kind only look out for themselves. Everybody else's safety be damned!" he snapped.

"Didn't you hear a word of what I said earlier? You simply being here could cause this entire city to break out in an out and out war. But here you are leisurely sittin' here drinking away like you ain't got a care in the world," he said shaking his head.

Caroline sighed deeply and slid back down into a seat next to Vincent.

"Look I'm not trying to cause any trouble okay? I just wanna find out what happened to Klaus. He's-" she struggled slightly "-He's my friend, and I just need to know he's okay,"

Vincent gave her a hard look, his eyes meeting Caroline's large blue ones. He sighed defeatedly.

"Fine. I will tell you what you want to know okay and hopefully, then you will understand the magnitude of the situation,"

Caroline nodded eagerly and leant forward. Vincent downed his rum and coke.

"But first, I'm gonna need another drink and you're going to need to compel just about everyone in this bar to forget anything they might hear once they walk out of here,"

"Klaus Mikaelson and his family came to New Orleans about three years ago. He thought of himself as a king and while certainly feared, it was Marcel who really pulled ranks around the city. One day an old acquaintance of Klaus'; a man named Lucien, his first sired, came to New Orleans, talking about some prophecy threatening to wipe out him and his family. One by friend, one by foe, and one by family. At first, everyone thought he was crazy, but then Rebekah and Elijah's sired popped out of the woodwork preaching about the same looming threat."

"Turns out they _were_ the threat. Lucien turned out to be a solid ally. But the other two members of the Trinity were bad apples. Twin brother and sister Aurora and Tristan de Martel,"

"But I don't get it, Originals can't be killed so what's the threat?" Caroline frowned.

"Let me finish," Vincent said "Between the two of them, their goal was to protect their sires and eradicate anyone else that got in the way. They had a weapon, a pendant that could lock the originals up until the time passed when the prophecy was no longer a threat. But of course, the Original family were never gonna let themselves be locked away willingly,"

"So the de Martels had to become more powerful than the originals in order have the upper hand. How you ask? They created something, a serum something that gave them the ability to make their bite contain venom strong enough to kill even an original. So strong that not even the blood of a hybrid could cure it,"

"But that's impossible," Caroline said.

Vincent took another sip.

"Oh, I assure you it isn't. See, I helped to make it,"

Caroline looked up at him incredulously.

"Now, now before you get all judgemental, you should know that I wasn't in full control of my own mind. Us witches, we have a thing called ancestors. The spirit of dead witches who protect our community and supply us with magic. Well turns out they've got a real axe to grind with the Mikaelson's. As regent, I hold the most power out of all the city's witches, so the ancestors used me as the vessel, in order for the spell to make the serum, to be completed. You followin' so far?"

"I think so," Caroline nodded rubbing her temples.

"To get at the youngest Mikaelson, Kol-"

"-Wait, Kol's still alive!?" Caroline asked astonished distinctively remembering Elena describing Kol's body burning in her living room.

"-Yes," Vincent said impatiently "The ancestors turned him against a girl he was seeing, a young witch named Davina. She was a good friend of mine... and Marcel's," he added.

"Was?"

"The witches possessed Kol's spirit so that his blood lust was out of control, Davina tried everything she could to cure him, he even suggested she dagger him. But before she could, he ended up killing her. Eventually, his family managed to put him down. Just out of spite they bit Finn-"

"Finn!? Finn's alive too!?"

" _Yes_ try to keep up," Vincent said rolling his eyes.

"Finn got bitten by Aurora once she took the serum but Freya harvested his soul and is currently looking for a way to cure his body; Rebekah got cursed by some kind of wack, magical stake so she had to be daggered too. Last I heard they used the pendant to lock away Elijah and the de Martel's got both of them locked away somewhere,"

"Who the hell is Freya?"

"Long lost older sister, long story," he said waving his hand.

"And Klaus?" she implored.

"For some reason, they wanted to keep the big bad hybrid alive. There's this special blade, made by a witch a long time ago. When you stick it in someone it leaves them in unspeakable pain and unable to move for however long you keep it in them," he replied.

"Klaus..." Caroline whispered, realisation dawning on her.

"They've got him locked away too,"

"So Marcel. Is he on their side?" Caroline asked.

Vincent shook his head.

"Marcel is an ally, Klaus is his sire. He joined the group of Vampires that Tristan commands; the strix, to be an inside man. Right now we're working on a plan to get Klaus and the rest of his family free; so now you see why it's imperative that nothing goes wrong to jeopardise things. Marcel has managed kept the other members of Klaus' sireline at bay until Freya can find a way to cure the rest of the Mikaelson's and we find the right time to attack"

"And what's in it for you?" Caroline asked, "I thought you hated vampires,"

Vincent shrugged.

"I'm not the Mikaelson's biggest fan, but anything they may have done, the de Martel's have done things that are ten times worse. Too many people I care about have died because of them. Whatever I have to do to take em' out, I'll do," Vincent answered.

"So now you know," he said "Take my advice; leave while you still can,"

With that, he downed the rest of his drink and took his leave from the bar without looking back.

Caroline sat for a moment, trying to process what she'd just heard.

Then the voices of two people, a well-dressed couple, floating into the bar stole her attention. Using her amplified hearing she listened in on their conversation

"It's happening tonight," the woman said.

"Are you sure?" the man asked.

"Positive, you know there's no official invitation to these things but anyone who's anyone will be there,"

"And tonight's the officiation ceremony correct?"

"Yep, some debutante vampire will have to compete to get into one of the most elite vampire societies in the world, should be fun to watch,"

"Will it be at the plaza as usual?"

"Mhmm, black tie, and a masquerade from what I've heard..."

Caroline allowed their conversation to fade out of her hearing as the couple walked further into the bar.

Vincent was right. She should leave. She should get out of New Orleans and never look back.

Then again. She was Caroline Forbes. She'd never been one to back down from a challenge.


	3. Playing the Game

**A/N:** Thank you to all my lovely reviewers and followers sorry for the wait.

To the guest user **gonnahaveagood** : Thanks a bunch I'm glad u like the fic and the way I did the timeline and Vincent's character. To answer some of your queries:

I deliberately made it so that Stefan or anyone else didn't make an attempt at interfering with Caroline's plans. If Care couldn't enjoy exercising her free will in canon she sure as hell was going to in my version of events. And I truly believe Caroline's one of the few vampires with the ability to control herself minus her humanity.

There is defo no Steroline in my fic's canon aside from them as a brotp.

I think I also should've made it clear in the timeline explanation that the sirelines have not been broken so Caroline has no idea who she descends from. At this point no one does, unless they were explicitly told; knew their sire (like Marcel) or were part of Finn/Kol's sireline and died when they did.

Marcel did put down Klaus but only because he was pretending to be on the Tristan/strix's side he didn't directly put him down because he personally aligned himself against Klaus, if that makes sense.

Also yes Cami makes a small appearance in this. Yes she does know Klaus, not personally tho he's a patron in her bar. For the purpose of this story Cami knows nothing of supernatural activity. There is no romantic history between her and Klaus. I may make her appear once again if it's relevant although she won't play a big part.

Hope that helps you or anyone else that was slightly confused. As the story goes on you will understand more (hopefully).

 _Mid-City, New Orleans_

Freya Mikaelson sat at a table hunched over a scroll, studying it intently. She mumbled to

herself as she did. Dark rings had begun to formulate underneath her eyes and exhaustion was written all over her features.

She jumped, and shrieked in shock, as she felt a person's hand on her shoulder.

"Shh love, it's only me."

She turned to see Lucien standing behind her, and slowly exhaled a sigh of relief.

"You shouldn't creep up on me like that," she scolded him, turning her back on Lucien to refocus on what she was doing.

"Apologies love, my intention wasn't to scare you," he said repentantly.

Freya nodded but didn't look up.

"Freya, love, don't you think it's about time you turned in for the night?"

Freya lifted her head in surprise.

"You know, in order to get some rest?"

Freya swivelled around fully and looked at him as if he had suddenly grown 3 heads.

"I'll rest when my siblings are freed," she said decisively.

Lucien let out a long suffering sigh.

"Freya, you know your dedication and loyalty to your family are two of many qualities I admire in you. But unfortunately your self sacrificing nature is also somewhat of a flaw," Lucien said, moving to pull out a seat next to her.

"You may be a very powerful witch but your body is still very much human and it needs rest," he urged.

She stared at him, her eyes red and bloodshot.

"How can I rest, when my brother remains in agony, imprisoned in the hands of that madman and his lunatic sister, along without Rebekah and Elijah?"

"Even if you stay up all night, I doubt you'll find a way to cure _all_ of you siblings at once," he pointed out.

"I have to try," she insisted.

"We will find a way to help them. On this you have my word. But your well being is just as paramount, why do you think I'm here?" Lucien implored.

"Well Klaus is your sire," Freya noted. "If anything terrible should befall him then your life would be at stake"

Lucien's face softened, and he rested his hand back on Freya's shoulder.

"You know that's not the only reason I'm here," he murmured affectionately, his thumb tracing gentle circles on her shoulder.

Freya's breath hitched almost inaudibly but Lucien didn't miss it. Her face flushed and she shifted in her chair, before rising abruptly to gather her things.

"You're right," she said, flustered "I think I might to get some rest after all,"

 _The French Quarter, New Orleans._

The Plaza was one of the largest, most grandiose, ballrooms in New Orleans.

Men in finely tailored suits and women in outrageously expensive gowns floated elegantly inside, all with the top halves of their faces covered with masks.

Women in exotic outfits hung from the ceiling, with only long strips of material keeping them suspended in the air.

Sultry contemporary music played as servers carried platters that held delicate flutes of champagne and sumptuous appetizers.

As Caroline entered the dimly lit room, she couldn't help feeling out of place despite the finery she was adorned in.

In a shopping spree in some of the Quarter's finest boutiques, Caroline had compelled her self a royal blue dress, some shoes, and a beautifully jeweled mask to wear that evening.

Even though the dress she wore startlingly resembled the dress Klaus had gotten her, for the night of the Mikaelson ball; Caroline had convinced herself that the fact that she had been so drawn to it was only a coincidence.

When offered, she picked up a champagne glass but didn't drink. Thinking it better to keep her wits about her.

For a moment, she stood and took in the atmosphere.

Soon she spotted someone, a man, tall and lean, weaving his way through the crowd.

He wore a mask but from what she could make of his features not covered by the mask, he was quite handsome. She panicked when she could see that he was purposefully walking toward her, praying he wasn't about to request to see her non-existent invitation.

She didn't, however let her practised, beauty queen smile drop and made certain not to look his way until he drew near enough to her that it would be impossible not to notice him.

As he approached, he removed his mask, gave her a blinding smile and stuck out his hand.

"Good evening, I couldn't help but notice you from across the room as soon as you came in. My name is Ethan, Miss?-"

"Anastasia Lockhart," she supplied without missing a beat.

Before she arrived that evening, she decided that it would be wise to come up with a fake name to use at the party,, as a safety precaution and to avoid any chance of being linked back to Klaus.

Granted, it wasn't the best fake name of all time, by her own admission, but she'd tried out a few, introducing herself to her bathroom mirror a couple of times and that was the one that Caroline had felt the most comfortable using.

She extended her hand to Ethan and he took it and placed a kiss on the back.

"Anastasia,what a beautiful name," he said flashing that winning smile again. He asked if he could refill her drink (despite it being obviously untouched) but she accepted, thinking that a little casual flirting wouldn't hurt to bide her time.

Ethan was charming, witty and well travelled if not a bit predictable as well as coming off a tad arrogant.

But he was hardly the worst man Caroline had ever come across.

From what she could gather, this wasn't his first time attending one of these events so he was definitely 'in' - whatever that meant.

Caroline was dying to pick his brains for more information, but she didn't want to look suspicious or reveal too much of herself.

So she stuck with what she knew how to do, which was smile and flirt and laugh in the right places as Ethan yammered on about himself.

Eventually, the intake of guests increased and it became hard to hear anything over the din of the music and the chatter.

He leant over and murmured into Caroline's, ear.

"I'm gasping for a cigarette, we can talk in the foyer just outside of the hall."

She nodded, and allowed Ethan to lead her out of the ballroom.

As they left, he jerked his head toward a set of doors that looked as if they lead to a balcony.

"Out here's a bit more private," he said.

When the stepped onto the balcony Caroline couldn't help but gape at the breathtaking view of the city offered from where they stood. Ethan lit his cigarette and turned to grin at her.

"Marvellous isn't it?" he commented.

"Yes it's incredible," she breathed.

"Do you smoke?" he asked holding up the packet.

She shook her head.

"No, no thank you."

Seeing the way Ethan was looking at her from the corner of her eye; she turned to him and said casually.

"I think maybe we should go back inside the party now."

He cocked his head.

"What's the rush? Don't tell me your cold!?" he joked.

"I just don't want to miss too much of the evening," she said, turning to leave.

He grabbed her arm, not too violently but with enough force enough to stop her.

"Stay," he implored, closing the gap between them. "I promise you'll have a lot more fun out here with me," he winked, then did what looked more like baring his teeth then smiling at her.

"I don't think so," she said gently, removing his arm from her own so she could leave.

He flashed in front of her and he looked as if he were about to give another succession of protests when a flash of black and white appeared and Ethan's body was suddenly thrown across the balcony, colliding with the nearby wall.

Her saviour straightened and fixed his suit and Caroline immediately recognised him.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Ethan stammered, obviously intimidated.

"Leave. Now," said Marcel, glaring at the crumpled heap of vampire on the floor.

He gave Caroline one last fleeting look and flashed through the doors.

Caroline opened her mouth unable to speak for a moment and the said,"I could've handled that myself you know?"

"Are you crazy!? Marcel snapped, turning to look Caroline in the face.

"I tell you to run, to leave this city, as far as your legs can carry you and you decide to seat yourself right in danger's lap?!"

"That guy wasn't a problem, like I said, I could've taken care of it if I had to," she insisted.

"I'm not talking about that guy!" he growled. " Do you even know where you are? You're currently surrounded by the world's most deadly, vicious group of vampires, you don't belong here!" he said, ushering her back inside.

"Look I want to help okay?" Caroline insisted.

Marcel sighed.

"That's nice and all, but you can't, so the best thing for you to do is go before you get hurt. Now I can't leave," he said pulling out his cell phone, "but I'll call one of my guys and in no time-"

"Marcel."

A female's clipped British accent floated in through the foyer and both Marcel and Caroline's attention was drawn to the woman in front of them.

She was tall, and lithe, with short cropped hair, and large almond shaped eyes. The silver evening gown she wore, contrasted against her rich dark skin.

"Aya," Marcel replied, straightening himself.

Aya's brown orbs flickered toward Caroline and then back to Marcel.

"Marcel where are your manners? Introduce me to your new friend," she said giving him a humourless smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Uh Aya, this is..." Marcel began hesitantly.

"-Anastasia," Caroline interjected. "Anastasia Lockhart, pleased to meet you," she said confidently, stepping forward and offering her hand.

Aya looked down at it, somewhat skeptically, but extended her own and shook it with what Caroline considered far more force than was necessary for a simple handshake.

"Enchanted," Aya replied cooly.

"Will you be joining us inside? The evening's main event is just about to begin," she asked looking expectantly at them.

Before either could answer, a sharply dressed man strolled purposefully into the hallway scanning around, as if he was looking for someone.

His eyes landed on the group.

Aya appeared to sense his presence almost immediately.

"Tristan," she greeted without turning around.

"What is going on here Aya?" he demanded, with the same crisp foreign accent.

"Marcel was introducing us to his friend," Aya explained "Miss... Anastasia Lockhart," Aya said gesturing to Caroline.

As Tristan stepped toward her, she noted he had a regal air about him. She felt a strange urge to curtsey.

"Miss Lockhart," he hummed, pressing a kiss against her hand "What a delight to have an exquisite beauty such as yourself in our midst this evening,"

His hair was a chestnut brown in a cluster of cherub-like curls which rested on his forehead. His eyes were a cold and greyish shade of blue and his mouth curled at the sides into a small hint of a smirk.

As her released her hand, Caroline caught Aya throwing her a look which could only be described as vitriol and her posture stiffened significantly.

"Tell me, Anastasia," Tristan said, "Is your interest here purely social, or do you wish to... join us?"

"Are you referring to the initiation?" Caroline ventured.

"Indeed," Tristan nodded.

Not knowing what else to say, Caroline just smiled confidently.

"I think I have what it takes," she blurted out, before she could stop herself.

Aya let out a small titter, and an amused grin appeared on Tristan's face.

"Well confidence is always appreciated here," he smirked. "Good luck my dear, I do hope the odds are in your favour."

He extended the crook of his arm for Aya to take and lead them back into the ballroom.

Marcel let out a antagonised sigh and ran his hand down his face in exasperation.

"Marcel-" Caroline started, only to be cut off.

"-You're in way over your head," he said. "You really have no idea what you just got yourself into."

And without saying another word, he left her standing there alone.

When Caroline reentered the party, a more classical style of music was playing and people were whirling their partners around the dance floor in time with the orchestra.

When the song ended, everyone broke into applause.

Then the lights dimmed and there was a hush throughout the room, save for a few curious murmurs.

Tristan appeared on the stage followed by a petite woman in a turquoise, fish-tailed evening gown.

She subtly resembled Tristan, except her eyes were a sharp emerald green. Her heart-shaped face was framed by her long red tresses, curled to perfection.

Tristan raised his glass and tapped it lightly to get everyone's attention.

"Good evening comrades," he said, surveying the room."As you know, the evening marks a very special occasion in our calendar."

"The question is," the woman beside him continued, her shrill voice ringing through the room, "who among you has what it takes to join our ranks?"

The room broke out in hushed murmurs once again until Tristan held up his hand for silence.

He stepped down from the stage and offered his hand to the woman to help her down after him.

Aya then floated through the crowd and stood in front of the guests.

"Will those who wish to be initiated step forward?" she asked scanning the room.

The crowd almost immediately parted in the middle, and a large circle was formed. A tall leggy brunette stepped forward; followed by a Filipino man with a tattoo covering most of his neck.

"Is that all?" Aya asked, narrowing her eyes.

Caroline shut her eyes and took a deep breath, then, she too stepped forward.

If she wasn't mistaken, she saw a small, almost taunting, smirk appear on Aya's face as she did.

"No more?" she asked. "Good. Very well then. Let us begin."

Once again, the room broke into applause. Caroline began to wonder if they were under compulsion and were being forced to clap; like in North Korea.

Tristan walked toward the volunteers, admiring them.

"It seems we have fresh talent," he observed, turning back to glance at the redheaded woman who smiled conspiratorially at him.

He stopped and held out his arms on either side of him.

"Now, which one of you is brave enough, to attempt at besting me?"

At first, nobody moved. Surely this was a joke?

Caroline looked over at her opponents. The guy with the tattoo looked about as reluctant as she felt. But the girl looked as if she was toying with the idea.

"Oh come now," Tristan drawled, "there must be one of you up to the challenge?"

Before anyone could stop her, the brunette girl bared her fangs and charged in Tristan's direction, ready to attack.

Tristan did not so much as flinch until she came near.

Then he stuck out his arm and tore his hand into her chest.

As far as Caroline could tell, she was the only one to gasp. Much to her embarrassment.

The girl choked and spluttered; blood pouring from her open mouth.

"Please..." she gasped, grasping at Tristan's arm, trying to gain some leverage.

Tristan merely gave her a somewhat disdainful look and released her.

Minus one heart.

Her lifeless body slumped to the ground, and Tristan held up the dead organ for all to see before tossing it aside.

He pulled out his pocket square and wiped the blood from his hand.

"The first thing you ought to learn - and quickly," he emphasised, "is manners. Respect for one's superiors. That sort of brazen insolence won't be tolerated here, understood?"

It was framed as a question, but it obviously didn't require an answer.

Both Caroline and the guy next to her remained frozen on the spot.

"Aya, if you please," Tristan said nodding in her direction.

Aya snapped her fingers and two hulking men, both and least 6"3, appeared to pick up the girl's lifeless body and carry it from the room.

"You'll notice," Aya started, breaking the tense silence, "that you're lacking in the way of a daylight ring."

Caroline frowned in confusion. What was she talking about she had her-

 _No._

Wait.

It was right there on her hand.

The guy next to her seemed to come to the same realisation as her, at the same time, if his panicked expression was anything to go by.

"Fear not," Aya soothed. "You'll get them back... as soon as you find them that is..."

"Someone in this room has borrowed it for the time being, your task, is to find out who. Do so in the next hour and you get to live," Aya said with a cold reptilian smile.

Caroline didn't need an explanation for what would happen if she didn't.

"For the rest of you," Aya said raising her glass, "please, enjoy your evening,"

The lights went back on and the orchestra began to play a lively upbeat tempo.

The guests all turned and resumed socialising as if nothing had just happened.

Caroline turned to look for the guy next to her but he had disappeared into the crowd.

15 Minutes left.

Caroline was starting to become desperate.

She thought about it. It was only 8:00, she had all night to try and get back to Mystic Falls. She would get Bonnie to conjure her up another daylight ring and she could put this whole mess behind her.

That is, if they let her leave.

Marcel was right, she was way out of her depth.

Marcel.

 _Marcel._

Why hadn't she thought of it before?

She made her way through the crowd, listening out for his velvet southern dialect amongst the dissonant chatter.

Eventually, she found him speaking to an attractive tanned woman in a gold dress.

She stood at a distance, hoping to catch his attention without having to go over to him.

By chance, he looked up and his eyes found hers. She jerked her head in the direction of the hallway and disappeared before he could indicate an answer.

In the 5 minutes it took him to arrive, Caroline paced back and forth desperately wishing he'd hurry up.

"What do you want Forbes?" he asked, pulling her further down the hall so they wouldn't be seen.

"And before you ask; no, I haven't got your daylight ring," he assured her.

"I need your help," she said, looking at his from under her lashes hoping to invoke some sympathy.

"Hey, I wish I could, but I'm not allowed to help you," he said stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Even if I wanted to, even if I knew who took it, Tristan and Aurora would have my head."

"Is that his sister?" Caroline asked "The redhead?"

"Yeah, and neither of them are someone to mess with. Hell, I'm taking a risk even being out here talking to you. From now on, you're on your own _Anastasia_ ," he said heading back in the direction of the party.

"Look please!?" she begged. "You must've made it through one of these initiation thingies, right? Just tell me anything you know that might help me!"

Marcel took a deep breath and paused on the spot.

"Just... Think about the people who were close to you tonight. The daylight ring came off your hand, it's gotta of been someone in close proximity right?"

Leaving her with that, Marcel slipped his mask on and turned to leave.

Caroline wracked her brains.

 _"Anastasia, what a beautiful name."_

Of course.

"Tonight's hopefuls. Your time is up," Aya announced. "Have you managed to identify the scoundrel who stole from you?"

"Yes," Caroline said confidently stepping forward and causing the room to erupt in whispers.

"By all means do share," Aya prompted, tilting her head curiously.

Caroline scanned the room and just as she had anticipated, there he was.

Ethan. Sipping a drink, and whispering something into the ear of his female companion.

"Him," Caroline said boldly, pointing in his direction. As everyone turned to look, he paused and his face paled as he looked around nervously.

"Step forward young man," Aya ordered him.

The crowd parted, and he shuffled nervously toward the front.

Aya circled him in a predatory fashion before turning back to look at Caroline.

"You only get one guess. Are you quite sure?" she asked.

Caroline nodded, although it felt as if her heart had sunk into her stomach.

Aya grinned,letting her hand slowly slide into Ethan's pocket making him jump. She tried the left then the right.

"Nothing in here," she said.

Next, she went for his suit pockets at the front.

"Nothing in here either."

Caroline was sure if she was still human she would've broken into a cold sweat by now.

Aya then reached into the inside pockets of his jacket.

"Well, what exactly do we have here?" she said, extracting a silver ring from the pocket.

Caroline inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Aya tsked.

"Now what _were_ you doing with Anastasia's ring, sir?" she asked in a chastising tone.

Before Ethan could answer Aya pulled back her arm and sliced it through his neck as if it were made of steel.

Ethan's head flew off his shoulders and rolled unceremoniously onto the floor.

Without being called, this time, the same men arrived to collect his remains.

"Magnus?" Aya said, turning to Caroline's opponent. "Have you figured out the culprit responsible for your ring's theft?"

Magnus was silent for a moment and then lifted his head.

"The doorman, he took it as I came in," he stated.

The man in question was dragged in and before Aya could question him Magnus flashed over himself and pulled the ring from his pocket.

The man's eyes filled with fear and he backed away from Magnus attempting to flee from the room.

"Leave him," Tristan commanded with an uninterested flick of his wrist "It's hardly worth it," he said leaving the man to scurry away.

"Congratulations are in order for the two of you it seems," Tristan said giving Caroline and Magnus an approving nod.

"I suppose the kind thing to do would be to initiate both of you. However, our guests tonight," he said gesturing to the room, "have come to witness a show. And as their host, I feel compelled to oblige them."

The crowd began to cheer and clap in a more raucous fashion than before, and Caroline felt unease creeping into her stomach.

"A fight to the death," Aurora announced lifting her glass. "Winner takes all,"

The guests formed a circle around Caroline and Magnus before either of them had a chance to protest.

At first, he looked as reluctant as she did but once he realised neither of them had much of a choice he removed his jacket and let his vampire features show.

Caroline quickly removed her heels and did the same.

"Begin!" Aya shouted.

Immediately Magnus charged at Caroline pulling her into a headlock. After some struggle, Caroline managed to flip him over her shoulder.

Using his position on the floor to her advantage she pinned him down and sank her fangs into his neck

Mangus cried out and grabbed her wrist twisting it until it snapped gaining him some leverage and throwing her off of him.

Caroline couldn't help dwelling on the sorry condition her dress must be in at that point. She wished she had gotten a heads up that she'd be fighting for her life that evening.

She would've compelled herself something less expensive.

As she was thrown off of him she immediately rose to her feet.

They circled each other for a moment, before Caroline moved to attack him; headbutting him and making her elbow collide with his jugular.

From then on, a few blows were exchanged back and forth, from what Caroline could tell in terms of vampire years they were about the same age and therefore matched for strength.

Magnus, unfortunately, managed to gain the upper hand on her at the last minute pinning her down with her arm bent in an unnatural position.

"Sorry blondie," he snarled. "End of the road,"

Magnus smiled, and drew his hand back. Just as he was about to plunge it through her chest a voice rang through the ballroom.

"WAIT!"

Everyone paused, looking for who was to blame for interrupting what promised to be a thrilling climax to the fight.

Marcel Gerard pushed his way through the crowd, holding the doorman by the scruff of his neck.

"He cheated," Marcel bellowed, pointing at Magnus.

"Marcellus, what is the meaning of this?" Tristan demanded.

"This man-," he said, chucking the doorman into the ring, "-is a human. Did anybody arrange for Magnus here, to have his daylight ring stolen?"

Aya turned back to look at Tristan, and he and Aurora shared confused looks with one another.

"He compelled the doorman to take his ring from him, so he'd automatically be entered for the initiation process," Marcel explained.

"That's a lie!" Magnus shouted, standing up and releasing Caroline from his grasp.

As he did, she gasped in relief, standing up and attempting to rectify her dishevelled appearance.

Marcel picked up the cowering doorman again and made it so his face was level with his.

"Why are you here?" he asked, looking him directly in the eye so the compulsion could take effect.

The man's eyes glazed over, and he answered robotically."That guy," he said pointing to Magnus. "He brought me here and made me hide his ring,"

In light of the new development, the guests began to murmur amongst themselves. Marcel raised his eyebrows and gave them a 'see, told you' look.

Aurora was the first to speak.

"Well I do so _despise_ a liar," she said, her face suddenly turning very dark and infuriated. It looked almost out of character on her pretty face.

Veins appeared under her eyes. But instead of turning black,the usually white part of her eyes turned discoloured shade of red. Her fangs appeared longer and sharper than usual.

She flashed toward Magnus growling demonically.

He backed away his expression pleading.

"No, wait... I-"

Aurora sank her fangs into his neck, ripping at his flesh, causing him to let out a piercing shriek, unlike anything Caroline had ever heard.

But Aurora didn't stop. She tore into his neck until his head had come off of his body entirely.

When she had finished, she licked her lips and regarded those watching her with what could only be described as an impish grin.

"Why is it always the traitorous ones who are the tastiest?" she said, cocking her head and lifting her arm to wipe her lips.

For the first time that night, there was a deadly silence.

"Well it appears we have a winner," Aya said stiffly breaking the silence. "Anastasia, congratulations."

Caroline straightened and made an attempt to look as if she had known what she was doing all along.

"Have this cleaned up," Tristan murmured to Aya who nodded.

Tristan then whispered something to Aurora and pulled abruptly at her arm, leading her away from the crowd.

Slowly, the guests all began to drift away from the scene. The music started back again, but this time, there was clear contention in the room.

Caroline let out a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding, she managed to locate her shoes from across the room and picked them up with the intention of going to get that drink she felt she more than deserved.

"Hey," a voice said behind her "You okay?"

She turned to face Marcel and managed to give him a smile.

"Thanks to you," she replied.

"You're damn lucky girl. All I can say is that there must be someone important up there who likes you," Marcel said taking Caroline's shoes from her.

"Let's get you a drink,"

After a few rounds of whiskey, and a reassurance from Marcel that she wouldn't have to sign her name in blood anywhere and that the worst was over, Caroline thanked him once again anddecided to leave.

As she headed out, she collided straight into a blonde woman with spiked hair and dark eyeliner who moved to stride past her without so much as an apology.

"Hey! Uhm scuse' you," Caroline snapped. She'd really had enough for one evening.

The woman spun around, her face calm and impassive.

"I'm sorry," she said stepping toward her.

Being 5"7, it wasn't often Caroline felt overwhelmed by another woman's height, but this woman was so tall she practically towered of Caroline in her 8-inch heels.

"Please accept my sincerest apology," she said grasping Caroline's hand in hers.

As she did, Caroline felt something crumpled pressed against her palm.

"Have a good night Anastasia," the woman said winking, before strutting off into the crowd.

Caroline looked down to see a note in her hands.

She unfolded it and read what it said.

 _Meet at the old abandoned church,_

 _Midnight_

 _Don't be late,0_

 _A. x_

Caroline stared down at the message in confusion

Either her life had turned into a Pretty Little Liars rerun or she truly had bitten off more than she could chew.

A/N: I hope it was worth the wait guys, reviews are appreciated and are likely to make the next chapter come faster.

Tell me what you think, of the story, and thanks again for all the lovely reviews so far.


	4. Messing With the Kid

_Flashback_

 _Freya raced through Lucien's penthouse, running into the living room and sinking to her knees beside her brother._

" _Don't leave," he gasped breathlessly. His eyes were shut and his head swung from side to side, as large droplets of sweat slide down his face._

" _Don't leave me here alone, I beg of you!" he sobbed._

" _I am here brother!" Freya said grabbing his hand and pressing it to her cheek. "It's me Freya, stay with me, Finn,"_

" _Please," he whispered, still hallucinating but at the sound of Freya's voice he appeared to relax slightly._

 _She pressed a cold compress against his forehead and whispered soothingly to him._

 _The doors of the living room flew open again and this time, Klaus came charging in._

 _He stopped short next to Freya._

" _How is he?" he demanded._

 _Freya sighed._

" _Deteriorating," she replied "I can slow the process down, make it less painful for him. But I don't know how much longer he'll…" she trailed off looking down at the carpet._

" _There must be something that can be done," Klaus insisted._

" _I've sent Lucien to get me some things that I'll need for a spell, I may not be able to save Finn's natural body now but I can preserve his soul in my pendant, until I can figure out a way to cure this bite," Freya explained._

 _Klaus stood and sighed. Shutting his eyes and clenching his fists._

" _How many more members of this family, must made victims before this ends," he growled, an agonized expression written on his handsome features._

" _I will find a way to help him," Freya said firmly stroking the hair out of Finn's face._

" _And what of Kol? Who lays daggered in the other room; our sister is the captive of our enemies. How long before they get to Elijah… Or you?" he asked._

 _Freya looked up at him and met his eyes. She extended her hand, a gesture for him to help her stand. As he pulled her up she smiled gently and rested her hand on his shoulder._

" _Whatever happens, we will get through it Niklaus. As a family," she assured him._

 _He shook his head._

" _Look where that's gotten all of us so far. No, it's me they want," he said decisively_

 _Freya frowned in confusion._

" _What are you saying Niklaus?" she asked, her voice suddenly filled with worry._

" _I will go to Tristan, if he wants to make a show of punishing me in front of his followers, let him. I won't stand and watch, as any more of you are hurt,"_

 _Freya stood in shock at first, as he turned to walk out. Suddenly the weight of his words hit her and she chased after him, grabbing his arm before he could walk out._

" _Niklaus no! Have you taken leave of your senses!? You honestly believe Tristan will just leave the rest of us alone once he has you? Regardless, Elijah is still in danger; all the sirelines are at war" she pointed out to him._

" _Tristan and Aurora are family. They will easily be able to talk their underlings out of trying to destroy one another. That only leaves my sireline. I am therefore their only enemy, once I give myself in it will give you lot a chance at least,"_

 _With that, he once again started pacing determinedly toward the door._

 _Freya reached out to grab him again. This time with more force._

" _You really expect me to let you walk out of here into certain death!?"_

 _He sighed heavily and locked eyes with her sadly._

" _You don't have choice,"_

 _Freya started to shake her head frantically at him and he quickly gathered her into his arms._

" _I have to do this," he murmured. "It is the only way,"_

" _And I expect you-" he said, pulling back to look at her. "To take care of our siblings. Save Kol and Finn; keep Elijah safe; figure out a way to get Rebekah home. Promise me."_

 _She nodded._

" _I will Niklaus but-"_

 _He grabbed her and pressed a kiss to her forehead._

" _I love you… sister,"_

 _Freya ran after him as she turned to leave._

" _No,"_

" _NO,"_

" _Wait!"_

" _KLAUS,"_

" _NIKLAUS!"_

 _Present_

Freya gasped and sat bolt upright in bed. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling how drenched she was with sweat.

She shut her eyes and attempted to level her breathing. That recurring dream had been causing her many sleepless nights for months now.

She jumped, hearing a light knock at the door.

"It's me, love," came Lucien's muffled voice from behind the door.

She hesitated and then answered.

"Come in,"

Lucien pushed the door slowly.

"You were crying in your sleep," he informed her.

"Oh," she said, ducking her head bashfully.

He came toward her and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Hesitantly he reached his arm out and brushed back the hair, sticking to her face.

Freya relaxed into his gentle touch.

She knew she really shouldn't allow such intimacy between them and had been steadily ignoring her feelings for Lucien for a long time now.

When she'd taken Kol and Finn's body and fled the quarter, Lucien hadn't thought twice before following her; in order to keep her safe.

Or so he claimed.

She was well aware, that he could've gone anywhere else in the world and yet risked staying in New Orleans.

But she had bigger thing to focus on than her feelings or Lucien's potentially romantic motivations.

"Why don't I get you a glass of water? Or some tea, to help you sleep?" Lucien suggested.

Freya shook her head dismissively.

"I'm getting up anyway,"

Lucien laughed incredulously.

"Sweetheart, it's 5 in the morning?"

She pulled the covers off and stood to her feet, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Exactly, so we'll have an early start. After all; we have work to do,"

In the dead of the night, the Quarter was eerily quiet. The sound of Caroline's heels clicking against the sidewalk, appeared to echo as she tread through the streets.

The lack of noise was strange considering it was a city filled with vampires. But after what she'd seen tonight, she could understand being too scared to come outside.

She turned a corner and finally found the place she'd been looking for. An old church, covered in scaffolding stood erect on the edge of the street.

She tarried by the entrance for a moment, wondering if she was making the right decision.

Perhaps she should've brought Marcel for backup. Ah well, too late to second guess now.

Inhaling deeply she stepped inside.

Whoever lured her there had definitely intended to create a creepy atmosphere. The church was dimly lit by only the candles lined around the room and there were various statues all around, which seemed to follow her every move

"Hello?" she called out.

In the pin drop silence, Caroline found herself jumping at the slightest sound as she walked down the aisle.

The creaking of the building; a church mouse scuttling across the floorboards.

When she approached the front of the church, she decided that she'd been there long enough. If her mysterious host didn't have the decency to show themselves; then she was going to leave.

Caroline turned on her heel and in a split second, she was surrounded by a group of women in black cloaks.

She made an attempt to scream but her fear swallowed the sound before she could make it.

The smallest woman stood directly in front of her. Red hair. Smirking.

 _Aurora._

"Be calm my dear," she purred. "We mean you no harm,"

"What's going on!?" Caroline demanded.

"All in good time; Anastasia. Follow us,"

Aurora and the rest of her hooded gang turned and headed in the direction of the stairs.

Caroline followed out of a mix of fear and curiosity.

The attic of the church was freezing cold; it made Caroline glad she was a vampire or else she'd be shivering.

And the cold may not be the only reason.

Aurora's minions seated them in various corners of the room, their faces stone cold and unreadable.

When Aurora had finished lighting some candles around the room, she turned to face Caroline.

"Naturally, you are wondering why you're here," she begun.

"I saw you this evening, at the choosing. And what I saw, I was impressed with. You are a baby. You cannot be more than ten years old,"

"But your moxie and determination when you fought your opponent; even in those last seconds when he was about to take your life: all I saw in your eyes, was more fight,"

Aurora paused and gazed at Caroline for a moment before continuing.

"My brother and I are two of the first sired vampires in the world. My sire was not only one of the first vampires to ever exist but the first and only female original vampire,"

"By her benevolence, I am the first ever, sired, female vampire. In keeping with that tradition, I made a vow, to only ever sire other females and instructed them to do the same,"

"I have single-handedly created the largest network of female vampires in the world. And if you joined us, you would be the first vampire from another sireline to do so-"

"Wh- wait, I'm sorry. Join you!?" Caroline spluttered.

"We see potential in you Anastasia," Aurora replied, with a shrug.

"What about the strix?" Caroline asked.

"Oh, you'd still be a part of it. But your allegiance-" she said, stepping forward to clasp Caroline's hand in her's.

"-Would be to me."

"And if do. What happens then? Is there some ancient ritual I have to complete. Do I have to sign my name in blood anywhere?" Caroline asked, dryly.

Aurora let out a high pitched laugh and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing so macabre. And there will be no barbaric fight to the death either, so you needn't worry,"

"The only thing required of you, is for you to pledge your loyalty; to me,"

As Aurora's big green eyes bore into hers, Caroline quickly realised that this wasn't the kind of situation whereby; if she wasn't interested, she could politely decline and they'd let her leave.

She was really in deep now. Whether she liked it or not.

"I'm in," Caroline nodded.

The predatory smirk that crept onto Aurora's face, was enough to chill the blood.


	5. Fight or Flight

**A/N:** Okay so I would like to personally apologise for all the horrendous spelling and grammar mistakes in the previous chapters (I had a read through before writing this next one and I am speechless) I'd also obviously like to apologise for the wait. I can only hope this next chapter is worth it and that the story continues to remain interesting.

It was funny.

Her decision to join not only the Strix but Aurora's mysterious-all-female-cult had made Caroline one of the most well-protected vampires in the world.

And yet her safety had never felt more precarious, in her eyes.

She'd come to the party only looking for some answers but now she was effectively caught up in some sort of supernatural warfare.

No longer a civilian but a soldier.

She realised she now had a choice.

She could remain loyal to the supernatural Kray twins, thus assuring her safety, however considering that they were responsible for killing and terrorising numerous amounts of people, Caroline decided that that was out if the question.

Her other option, of course, was to use her leverage as a newly initiated member of the most powerful vampire society in the world, to get what she wanted.

She could help Marcel and Vincent to give the people of New Orleans a terror free city and maybe… even find Klaus and his family at the same time.

The only problem with that was; if either Tristan or Aurora found out she was working as a double agent she was as good as dead. If Caroline was gonna play spy she was going to need allies.

So she decided to seek out a familiar face.

"You are kidding me aren't you?"

As Vincent pulled open to door to his cottage Caroline could help noticing how drawn and tired looking his face was.

He wore shorts and a greyish green sleep shirt with a flannel robe over the top and judging by the look on his face he was less than pleased to see her.

"Hi," Caroline said, cheerfully. "Can I come in?"

Vincent spluttered and gave her an incredulous look.

"Can you come in?! I thought I made it clear, I don't want you in this city much less my house!"

Caroline stepped forward to stop him before the door could slam unceremoniously in her face; causing him to glare at her.

"Lady I am this close to hexing you," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Look, please!? I know what you said before about me, but things are a whole lot different now!" Caroline insisted.

Vincent's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh really? Are things different now? This city is no longer in mortal danger; my people aren't be slaughtered in the streets anymore; Tristan and Aurora are buried deep in a hole somewhere and Seinfeld's back on the air? Cus' if none of that's true I'm gonna need you to leave me the hell alone," he snapped.

"I promise-" she said shoving herself against the door for the second time. "-That I have a good reason for being here,"

"Please,Vincent…?"

He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're lucky I don't get many visitors around here and that I'm pretty starved as far as the company goes," he grumbled.

Caroline beamed as she stepped in after him, closing the door behind her.

"Drink?" He grunted, throwing a look at her over his shoulder at her.

"Yes actually," Caroline nodded, taking a seat in the living room.

He emerged a moment later with a glass of cola with ice and a mug for himself.

"Now what is this is a new turn of events that I'm supposed to be just dying to hear about," he asked, sceptically, bringing the mug to his lips.

"I joined the Strix," she blurted out.

Vincent choked and nearly spat out his coffee which Caroline noticed was once again laced with alcohol.

"You joined the what!?" He gasped hoarsely.

"The Strix," she repeated casually, picking up her glass and slowly sipping the sweet drink.

"H-how!? How are you still alive right now!?"

Caroline shook her head and waved him off.

"It's a long story trust me. Listen I just need-"

"-People don't just join the Strix it's not some Sorority. What the hell did you have to do, sell your soul?"

"I need to talk to Marcel, it's important,"she said dismissively.

"Well I know he's gonna wanna talk to you," Vincent nodded, pulling himself up out of his armchair. He paused suddenly, sizing Caroline up as if there was suddenly something different about her, before continuing out of the room.

Caroline drummed her fingernails lightly against the arm of the couch absentmindedly, as she waited for him to come back. Vincent returned with a leather bound black notebook in one of his hands and a pen in the other. He scribbled down something quickly on one of the pages before tearing it out.

"Here. This is where you'll find him. Be discreet when you go looking for the place and watch yourself - the people around Marcel are pretty edgy around outsiders - for good reason mind you - but still, be careful."

"Thank you," Caroline said taking the paper from him and rising from her chair.

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Sorry that it's short, please review to let me know if you'd like me to continue or not.


	6. My Brother's Keeper

**A/N:** Okay, I've decided the chapters are gonna be short from now on because then it will be easier for me to post regularly. Also, this is unbeta-ed fyi.

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"Is this wise love?" Lucien questioned. Watching Freya's movements from the opposite side of the room.

"Quiet," she dismissed him. "I can't do the spell unless I concentrate."

Freya clutched the small turquoise pendant around her neck and let her eyes flutter shut, as she began to chant.

The stone eventually began to emit a fluorescent light and slowly, an opaque image of Finn began to materialise.

"Sister," he gasped out, once fully formed.

"Please tell me you've found a way of liberating me?"

Freya sighed and combed her fingers through her sand coloured locks.

"We've come up with something that may well be a solution." She said hesitantly.

"And you have not yet attempted it?"

"The serum that Aurora took, the toxin that was injected into you once bitten. We may have found a way of reversing it,"

"However we aren't exactly sure and if anything should go wrong…" she trailed off.

"I trust you completely Freya. If you believe it will work then, by all means, I'm willing to try."

Freya nodded.

"With your permission then,"

She strode a few steps over to a large oak wood coffin that sat in the corner of the room. Flipping the lid open, to reveal Finn's desiccated corpse lying dormant inside.

Lucien snuck a glance in Finn's direction. To his credit, his face remained impassive but he couldn't quite control the small shudder that came over him.

Freya crossed the room and stood in front of her sibling. Their eyes meeting in a look of unquestioning trust. Freya broke the contact to spare a cursory glance in Lucien's direction. He nodded back at her a knelt dutifully beside Finn's body in the coffin a small phial of liquid gripped in his hand.

The sound of Freya's rhythmic chanting filled the room once again and Lucien immediately felt the atmosphere in the room change. Slowly but surely the image of Finn before them became increasingly more translucent.

As the sound of Freya's voice increased in volume, Lucien became so entranced by the foreign incantations that, he nearly missed the sharp gasp coming from the box beside him.

He turned, coming face to face with Finn. His complexion no longer grey and stony, quite the opposite in fact. His cheeks were flushed pink and his face was slick was sweat, as he desperately drew large intakes of air.

"Now, Lucien!" Freya urged him.

Yanking Finn towards him by the chin, Lucien proceeded to force the phial of liquid down his throat. At first, he gagged and spluttered but Lucien held his mouth closed forcefully with both palms until the chocking subsided and Finn's body stopped convulsing

Gradually Finn blinked his eyes open and Lucien lifted his hands from his lips, peering down curiously at the other man.

" _Sister_ ," he rasped, extending his arm outwards aimlessly.

"I'm here Finn," Freya reassured him, rushing over to where Lucien knelt beside him.

Finn gazed up at her, disorientated, looking as though he couldn't quite make sense of his surroundings.

"How do you feel?" Freya pressed.

When Finn's eyes finally focused he hesitated for a moment before offering her a genuine if not slightly delirious smile.

Freya's own worried face broke into a reassured smile in return, laughing breathlessly; reaching out to grab Lucien's wrist with her free hand in her excitement.

The moment of happiness lasted approximately 45 seconds before Finn's face paled and he began to choke as streams of blood poured from his parted lips.

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 **A/N:** Reviews are my primary motivation y'all. Hoped you liked it let me know what you think/would like to happen next. Enjoy the rest of your week until next time.x


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